1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a system for recommending video programs to a user.
2. Description of the Background Art
A current approach to recommending a video program to a user requires that the user have a digital video recorder and a subscription service. In such an approach, the subscription service monitors the television programming the user watches as well as what the user records. This information is combined with information identifying what other users watch and the subscription service then displays or records additional programming to the user's digital video recorder that the service determines might be of interest to the user. The pool of information from which to make recommendations is however limited to the number of users of that particular television broadcast system.
In another current approach, the user trains the subscription service by rating the television programming the user watches or records. This rating information is factored into the determination of which programs the subscription service recommends to the user. This however requires waiting the time it takes the system to be trained to get recommendations that are of any value.
Additionally, the recommendations made by the subscription service are based only on what other users with similar viewing habits watch and the subscription service only has information about what a user watches through the television broadcast system. The subscription service cannot take into account video programming the user watches through other means such as playing a DVD or downloading from the internet. The subscription service also does not have any way of obtaining information that a user searched online for information about a new series that has not aired yet.